Home » History » African-American History » RALPH BUNCHE: 1st African American Nobel Peace Prize Recipient

RALPH BUNCHE: 1st African American Nobel Peace Prize Recipient

© Maisah B. Robinson, Ph.D.

Ralph Johnson Bunche was born on August 7, 1904 in Detroit, Michigan. Bunche's family was poor and his father moved from city to city looking for work. Ralph attended Barstow School in Toledo, Ohio and sold newspapers to add to the family income. Bunche would later recall that, "My childhood days were poor days, but happy ones and filled with music." Ralph's mother died when he was thirteen years old, after which his maternal grandmother reared him.

Ralph attended Jefferson High School in Los Angeles. He experienced racial prejudice when the was not allowed admittance to the Ephebain Socity, the citywide honor society. He was so upset that he wanted to quit school. He did not quit and graduated from high school in 1922 with academic honors. Ralph's grandmother encouraged him to continue his education. After graduation, he entered the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). At college Ralph participated in athletic and social activities. He was on the staff of the college newspaper, the "Daily Bruin," and sports editor of the college yearbook. Although he worked part-time jobs to help pay for his college expenses, he excelled in his subjects. He majored in political science and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, the most prestigious honor society in the U.S. In 1927, Bunche graduated from UCLA with the highest honors.

Bunche was offered a fellowship from Harvard University. He received a master of arts degree from Harvard in 1928 and took a position at Howard University, the prestigious African American college in Washington, D.C. He served as a political science professor and helped organize the political science department. While at Howard he met Ruth Harris, whom he married in 1930. They had three children, Joan, Jane and Ralph, Jr.

Bunche received a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1934, becoming the first African-American to receive a doctorate in political science. Bunche traveled to many African countries while studying for his Ph.D. and had an opportunity to meet with many African leaders. In 1936, Bunche published his first book, "A World View of Race," which was a study of race relations in the U.S. After the publication of his book, Bunche traveled to South Africa to study race relations there.

In 1939, Bunche began working with Gunnar Myrdal, a Swedish sociologist and economist, who was conducting a large scale study on black-white relations in the U.S. In 1944, the results of the research were published in the renowned book, "The American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy."

The copyright of the article RALPH BUNCHE: 1st African American Nobel Peace Prize Recipient in African-American History is owned by . Permission to republish RALPH BUNCHE: 1st African American Nobel Peace Prize Recipient in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.